John’s Horror Corner: Saturn 3 (1980), an oft-forgotten Sci-Horror classic with some major star power and a lecherous robot.

MY CALL: I’m not sure if this is a “so bad it’s good” movie or more a movie that was once awesome but just didn’t age well. In either case, this is the Sci-Horror oddity equivalent of a long forgotten exhibit gathering dust in the basement of a museum—it surely deserves to be seen, but is too overshadowed by its more shiny, polished contemporary successors. MORE MOVIES LIKE Saturn 3: For more robots behaving badly, consider the delightful Sci-Horror like of Demonseed (1977), Moontrap (1989), and Virus (1999).

This movie makes its style clear right away. Geeks will enjoy visual spacescape delights, and gorehounds enjoy a man getting diced through wires while being jettisoned through an air shaft into space. One part Sci-Fi grace, one part chunky gore.

A pair of lovers and researchers Alex (Farrah Fawcett; Charlie’s Angels) and Adam (Kirk Douglas; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Spartacus) on Saturn 3 are visited by a rigid, by-the-book official Benson (Harvey Keitel; Two Evil Eyes) to review their progress. Benson is somewhat secretive in his objectives; he makes his carnal, hedonsitic interest in Alex immediately clear; and he has brought a “demigod” robot to assist him. What could possibly go wrong?

Running on tubes of colored liquids and a core of pure brain matter, this giant robot (called Hector) is pretty snazzy for a 1980 film. Hector plays chess, performs first aid… and a gorily brutalizes Alex’s dog. More troubling, Hector actively learns from a direct brain-link to Benson, and thus Hector also is now infatuated with Alex! Yes, you read that right. The robot, which lacks genitals or an endocrine system to produce hormones, desires Alex. Oh, classic Sci-Fi, you rascal!

Trapped in their research compound with Hector, the humans must escape the station. The Star Wars-inspired special effects are solid on spaceship shots; cheap but enjoyable for planetary terrains harken closer to Doctor Who; and set design and visuals of on-ship tech is satisfyingly elaborate. Very good visuals for Sci-Fi fans abound.

Shockingly, this hidden gem was directed by Stanley Donen, who also directed your grandparents’ and great grandparents’ favorites Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). Donen only ever did one genre film, and this one is a banger worth your time!

We end up with one really cool gore scene that likely inspired the likes of Moontrap (1989) and Virus (1999). Frankly, for a nearly 50-year-old Sci-Fi movie, this held up pretty well for me! I enjoyed it a lot.